This invention relates generally to apparatus for increasing the efficiency of air conditioning units and, more particularly, to a protective cover for shielding the unit from the sun or debris which allows selective access to the air conditioning unit without removing the entire cover therefrom.
Intense heat or debris, such as leaves, grass, and the like, that becomes lodged in the vent panels of an air conditioning unit cause the unit to run inefficiently, wastes energy, and decreases the life of component parts. Many apparatus have been proposed in the art for shielding an air conditioning unit from the sun. Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, existing devices do not shield an air conditioning unit from both sun and debris while also permitting access to portions of the unit, such as for repair or maintenance, without completely removing the shielding apparatus.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a protective cover for an air conditioning unit which shields the unit from both sun and debris while still permitting air flow therethrough. Further, it is desirable to have a protective cover which allows convenient access to selected portions of the air conditioning unit without completely removing the apparatus from its shielding position.
An adjustable protective cover for use with an air conditioning unit according to the present invention includes a framework having a plurality of upstanding vertical supports with a plurality of horizontal upper struts connecting upper ends of the supports and a plurality of horizontal lower struts connecting lower ends of the supports. Therefore, the framework forms a generally cubicle-shaped configuration. A screen having a mesh adapted to significantly shield the air conditioning unit from sun or debris while still allowing air to flow therethrough is coupled to the framework. The screen includes a top portion that spans between the upper struts of the framework so as to shield the top of the air conditioning unit. The side portions of the screen span between adjacent vertical supports and between upper and lower struts. Each vertical support integrally includes two faces, the faces being normal to one another and each face defining a slot extending longitudinally between upper and lower ends thereof.
Only one edge of each side portion of the screen is fixedly attached to a respective strut. The protective cover further includes a plurality of slider bars, one slider bar being attached along a free edge of each side portion opposite the attached edge thereof. As the side portions of the screen are attached to upper struts, the free edges and slider bars thereof are adjacent respective lower struts and are parallel thereto. Each slider bar defines threaded apertures adjacent ends thereof that are configured for alignment with the slots. The invention further includes a plurality of knob fasteners, each fastener having a threaded tip configured to be inserted through a slot and to threadably engage a slider bar aperture. Therefore, each slider bar is engaged by two knob fasteners. Loosening the knob fasteners enables the knobs, slider bar, and side portion of the screen to be adjusted up or down between corresponding upper and lower struts. A tightening of selected knob fasteners secures the corresponding slider bar to the vertical supports at a desired position between the upper and lower struts. Accordingly, selected side portions may be moved between open, closed, or partially open configurations to permit access to the air conditioning unit without completely removing the cover from about the air conditioning unit.
Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide a protective cover for shielding an outdoor air conditioning unit from direct rays of sun and from debris.
Another object of this invention is to provide a protective cover, as aforesaid, having a mesh screen configured to shield the top and sides of the air conditioning unit while still allowing air to flow therethrough.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a protective cover, as aforesaid, having a box-like framework which completely surrounds and shields the air conditioning unit.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a protective cover, as aforesaid, in which the mesh screen may be slidably reconfigured relative to the framework so as to provide access to the air conditioning unit.
A further object of this invention is to provide a protective cover, as aforesaid, in which the mesh screen may be selectively positioned in open, closed, or partially open configurations relative to the framework.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a protective cover, as aforesaid, that is lightweight and sturdy.
A particular object of this invention is to provide a protective cover, as aforesaid, that is easy and economical to manufacture.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, embodiments of this invention.